Smart tourism and digital trajectories for local value chain development in Cusco

Tourism diversification in Cusco requires coordination between visitor information, local services and the cultural settings through which journeys unfold. This article examines how smart tourism and digital trajectories can support local value chain development amid overtourism pressures. The exploratory basis is an ethnographic route study conducted in May and July 2026 by Nicolás Ortiz-Esaine, with field accompaniment by Sara Gonzales and support from Manuel Chávez, Tourism Director of the Cusco Chamber of Commerce. Fifty local businesses were contacted and interviewed in situ along vehicle-based visits covering the South Valley, Señor de Huanca, Q’eswachaka, and a northern extension to Maras and Moray. Participation in the central ceremony of Señor de Choquekillka in Ollantaytambo and ticketing difficulties observed during a one-week stay add exploratory qualitative evidence. The fieldwork account is considered alongside official visitation statistics, management documents and selected literature. Digital trajectories are defined as sequences of information, decisions and interactions connecting digital touchpoints with physical places and local providers. The resulting design proposal, Q´ente, combines cultural mediation, digital visitor assistance and a proposed collective brand. The article specifies coordination responsibilities and evaluation indicators. Interview-level thematic findings are not presented; the proposed effects on visitor distribution, local expenditure and anthropogenic pressures remain to be tested. The contribution is an ethnographically informed sectoral framework that places local cultural authority within the design of smart tourism.